HARDWARE VERSUS SOFTWARE - ARE POLICE REFORMS WORKING?

After reading Dr Odote’s article titled ‘Are National Police Service Reforms working?’ published in the Business daily, Monday, July 11, 2016, page 10, I have put up this piece that I have quite often restrained myself from doing. This is because I know that this is a hot area that very few officers would want to discuss. Going by the recent happenings so many of us appear to have woken to the reality that Police reforms should have taken place yesterday and we should be reaping the benefits of the said reforms by now.

A functional Police Service is one of the most vital requirements that this country must have as we work towards the Vision 2030. We will never attain vision 2030 if the building blocks are not put in place in 2016. Reforming the Police Service is a process and not an event as well as attaining vision 2030 is, this we must admit. Whereas so much has been done at the top level, the impact has not been felt by the officers themselves leave alone the common Mwananchi in the remotest part of this country.

Vision 2030 strategy is specifically tooled to focus on reforms and development in eight key sectors: security being one of them. The others are Macroeconomic stability for long-term development, Continuity in governance reforms, Enhanced equity and wealth creation opportunities for the poor, Infrastructure, Energy, Science, technology, and innovation (STI), Land reforms, Human resources development and timely justice.

Vision 2030 has three pillars, Economic, Political and Social. For these pillars to remain strong and support this vision, the role of the Police Service is paramount and must be a priority for anyone who truly subscribes to this vision. Under the Social pillar, Kenya aims to build a just and cohesive society with social equity in a clean and secure environment. It is in this regard that the role of Police Officers must be looked at very closely. A departure from a militant police service is inevitable. There is an urgent need to oil the wheels of reforms to see to it that we have a Police Service that is not only people friendly and people centered but that which is an integral part of the society.

There is need for heavy investment in the service as a whole hence investment in the hardware and software ought to be done concurrently. Whereas the government has invested substantial resources in the hardware, silently, the officers have been wondering how this hardware is expected to run with incompatible software. Any officer would be quick to point out that the only thing that he/she needs is a salary increase and there we go! It is against this premise that officers will be heard justifying corruption in the name of trying to meet the ever growing need for finances as a way of responding to in adequate salary that the government pays such officers.

A salary increment would not mean an automatic improvement in the quality of services offered by Police officers but that does not mean that it is not a much needed morale booster to the officers. However, our Mps and other elected leaders earn well but we have seen some stoop too low to a point of faking mileage claims just to bag an extra penny from public coffers leave alone other un explained expenditures. In the case of Police officers, it would be naïve to assume that a modern computer with the most compatible software, no antivirus and power would function in a cyber café. This I say because officers operate in an environment that is full of viruses and very few can survive in such an environment till retirement without being infected / powered by a bug that has proved too stubborn to get rid of going by the reactions of the officers and even politicians with regard to the ongoing vetting exercise.

Whereas the UN’s recommends and ideal Police Civilian ratio of 1:450, may be we need to ask why one should have a vast majority of bug infested computers and he/she goes ahead to boast of how many computers he/she has without appreciating that such computers may be just dead stock whose continued possession may prove difficult and expensive as the same may reject any attempt to install anti viruses even when powered hence all one would have to pay are un justifiable power bills.

This means that for us to have a functional Police Service, one that will match modern day Policing challenges and that which supports Vision 2030, we must get it right from when we are doing a need analysis, requisition, advertisement, short listing, recruitment, reference checks, job offers, training, placement, rewards, promotion, discipline, tooling and kitting all the way to separation /retirement without focusing so much on 1:450 to the expense of quality. Any attempt to dilute any of the above will simply keep us singing the old song that most of us have been singing, we need Police reforms now!